


Lovers

by gaialux



Category: Futurama
Genre: Episode Related, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-08-28 17:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8456209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaialux/pseuds/gaialux
Summary: The gypsy was wrong. It was always true love, not best friends.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ololon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ololon/gifts).



> Takes place after "The Honking". Thank you to LJ_McKay for the beta; all remaining mistakes are my own. Happy yuletide!

They actually go after those they love.

Werecars, that is.

Leela finds this out through her own research. Trusting the gypsy was never advisable, so  _why_ Bender chose to this time is anyone's guess.

Maybe he found out the truth but kept it to himself. Leela wonders if that meant he thought Fry would still be the one. They do have that connection. Close in a way that could be seen as brothers or lovers -- depending on how you wanted to twist and turn the picture.

Then Bender changed, went after Leela, and, well...

Well, Leela does what any other curious, self-respecting woman would do: she confronts him.

"Bender," Leela says. Straightforward. It's always the best way to deal with men -- robot or not.

"Hey Meatbag," Bender greets. He's on the couch, watching static. Leela wonders if he can see something in it that she can't. Or if he's just so bored it doesn't really matter. "Professor sending us on a delivery? 'Cause I think Fry's out finding a suicide booth."

Leela chooses to ignore that. She saw Fry in the kitchen less than five minutes ago and, while he still seems mad at Bender for the werecar incident, his love of Slurm and sandwiches seems to keep him living on.

"I found this." She hands him a print out, afraid an email would get lost into the world of spam. Bender takes it, glances at it, and then shoves it into his mouth. Leela waits.

"What?"

"Well, aren't you going to  _read_ it?"

"Nah."

Leela sighs. Bender's eyes go back to the buzzing screen. _If you can't beat 'em, join 'em._ Leela sits.

"It's about werecars," Leela offers.

"Wasn't that a last week thing?"

She continues, "What the gypsy told you -- it's wrong. And, seriously Bender, since when do you take her word for anything?"

"All the time," Bender says. "She was programmed in the same plant as me, you know."

_Why doesn't that surprise me?_

"Anyway," Leela says with a shake of her head. She decides to just go for it. "You go after those you  _love_ , like, romantically love. Not frie--"

With that, Bender cracks up. Deep, rumbling laughter that turns electronic and clangy. Leela can feel her cheeks growing red but refuses to give him the satisfaction of showing her embarrassment. She waits for him to shut up. It doesn't happen.

"Sorry, Leela," Bender says, though he sounds far from sorry, "but whatever filthy chat room you got that report from, I think you'd better update your anti-virus. Here, the professor gave me--"

Leela walks off.

 

* * *

 

Maybe Bender was right.

No. No way. Maybe the  _gypsy_ was right. Logically, Leela knows that's the same thing. But cognitive dissonance and all that.

Leela rolls over in bed and looks down at Nibbler, who seems caught in a dream. No doubt devouring a large ham. His life is simple, she thinks. Eat, sleep, and provide fuel. Even coming from an alien planet he adapted quickly, easily. Bender was  _born_ here -- shouldn't he adapt quicker, even being a robot?

Wait. Why is Leela even  _thinking_ about Bender? So what if he doesn't care about the werecar scenario. It doesn't matter. Bender was cured, Fry moved on, and Leela...Leela was fine. So that should be it.

Shouldn't it?

 

* * *

 

The next day Leela, Fry, and Bender have a delivery for the moon. Despite his Luna Park experience, Fry is still in awe on this giant rock. Leela finds it cute, mostly, until it gets in the way of a swift delivery.

"Can you go tell him to hurry up?" Leela asks Bender. She's chosen to put yesterday's events to rest. Way, way in the back of her mind something ticks away, processing what has happened, but thinking about it will get them nowhere. It's over.

Bender shrugs and chugs a beer he somehow got from an otherwise alcohol-free concession stand. "He can find his own way back. There's shuttles."

"And you think Planet Express will be happy footing that bill?"

"I'll threaten to bend Hermes in half if he complains."

Seems reasonable.

"Fry," Leela calls out over the crowds of screaming children. For them, the thrill never dissipates; Fry fits right in. "Fry!"

He's staring at Craterface, no doubt trying to work out if it's a costume or real. Leela could tell him the being behind the mask is an alien, but then Fry would never shut up.

"Fry!"

He finally looks over at her. "What?"

"Bender and I are going back," she says. She still has to raise her voice to be heard. "Will you be okay to catching shuttle home?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Leela, in all honesty, isn't sure he hears. But screw waiting around. She heads back to Bender and onto the Planet Express ship. Course set for home.

 

* * *

 

 

She watches Bender when the ship takes control.

He doesn't seem to do an awful lot when not the center of attention. Maybe because he's a robot. No need for emotion or time-wasters. But Leela knows he had emotions once - her own. Real and strong and, seemingly, frightening. Enough for him to risk death to make it stop.

"What?" Bender asks -  _sneers_ , if that's possible for a robot. "Shouldn't you be steering?"

Leela shakes her head. She's not sure what comes over her, but gliding towards Bender becomes as effortless as brushing her hair. He's cold. Always running cold. Inside  _and_ out, it seems. But Leela knows it hasn't always been that way. He's shown warmth before. Care. Empathy. And, if her research is to be believed,  _love_.

"Bender," she says gently.

He looks at her.  _Really_ looks. For the first time, Leela sees something in his eyes that says he's truly listening.

"Bender," she repeats. But not like with Fry. Not like she's annoyed, calling for his attention. Rather a confirmation. She knows Bender knows it too. He leans in. She follows. Touch.

"Do you believe me now?" she asks.

She swears Bender smiles back before leaning in for another kiss.


End file.
